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Unleashing Stress: The Effects Of Training, Bond Strength, And Stress On Pet Dog Behaviors And Health, London Maria Wolff

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Humans and dogs have formed a unique ability to communicate with each other through evolutionary and developmental mechanisms. This increased communication serves to form dynamic interspecies bonds by facilitating learning and training over the lifetime of a dog. However, it is not known what factors permit the unique capacity of dogs to form bonds with, and learn from, their human companions. Odor is a notable candidate for interspecies communication about emotional states, with studies showing that both dogs and humans use odor information to detect human emotions (Calvi et al., 2020). Possibly, this may include detection of both acute and …

The Impact Of Emotional Factors On The Functioning Of Selected Muscles: Facial Muscles, Trapezius Muscle, Diaphragm And Therapy Suggestions For Physiotherapists. A Systematic Review, Kacper Chojowski, Wojciech Janik, Piotr Steuer, Maciej Tomik, Michał Kuszewski

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: Extensive research has identified muscles that are particularly susceptible to emotional stimuli, namely the facial muscles, trapezius, and diaphragm. These muscles can respond to emotional stimuli by affecting the viscoelastic properties of muscles, especially stiffness. This study attempts to identify suggestions in evidence-based physiotherapy (EBP) for treating muscles that are particularly susceptible to emotions. Materials and methods: In order to achieve the goals, studies available in PubMed, PEDro, and Elsevier and Springer databases were analyzed. In the critical literature review, the following word combinations were selected: "muscle psychological stress," "muscle tonus stress," "trapezius stress," "diaphragm stress," "facial muscles stress." …

Metabolic Mind: A Critical Literature Review On The Influence Of Mindset On Metabolic Health, Jordan Daniel M.A., M.S.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Evidence has demonstrated that psychological processes can influence metabolic functions, which are essential to overall health, as impaired energy metabolism can compromise physiological systems (Bobba-Alves N et al., 2022). Metabolic health is defined as a state of well-being characterized by optimal levels of blood glucose, lipids, cholesterol, blood pressure, and adiposity and is the absence of metabolic dysfunction, which encompasses but is not limited to cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. A powerful psychological construct that has demonstrated its influence on health is a mindset. Defined as core beliefs or assumptions about oneself and the world, …

Daily Rhythms In Psychosocial Stress, Sleep, And Mood: A Multimethod Approach To Transdiagnostic Psychopathology Risk And Intervention, Gabriel Gilmore

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Rhythms are central to nearly every core physiological and psychological process and have profound influences on overall health and well-being, particularly in the context of mood disorders. This dissertation emphasizes a rhythm-centered framework for understanding transdiagnostic psychopathology, proposing that the temporal organization of psychosocial stress, sleep, and mood provides crucial information for the development and treatment of mood disorder symptomology. Current literature relies primarily on mean symptom levels, overlooking day-to-day patterns in psychosocial experiences. To address this key methodological gap, three studies are examined. Study 1 develops and validates the Psychosocial Stress Regularity Measure (PSRM), a brief single-item measure of …

Circulating Epstein-Barr Virus Antibody Levels As A Biomarker Of Socioecological Adversity In Amazonian Ecuador, Tyler M Barrett, Melissa A Liebert, Geeta N Eick, Julia G Ridgeway-Diaz, Felicia C Madimenos, Aaron D Blackwell, Tara J Cepon-Robins, Samuel S Urlacher, Lawrence S Sugiyama, J Josh Snodgrass

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: Circulating Epstein-Barr virus antibodies (EBV-Ab) are used as a biomarker of chronic stress in high-income settings, but their relevance in environments with a high burden of infectious disease, nutritional constraints, and limited resources is less clear. We investigated EBV-Ab as a biomarker of adversity in a setting where local ecology and economy may affect immune development differently than in wealthy countries.

Methods: We measured EBV-Ab in finger-prick dried blood spots collected from Indigenous Shuar (n = 433) and non-Indigenous Colonos (n = 84) ranging from < 1 to 87 years old in Amazonian Ecuador. For a subset of adults (≥ 15 years, n = 210), we collected socioeconomic information (income, education, and occupation) and assessed household-level market integration. We determined the most important predictors of EBV-Ab for adults and children using multi-model averaging of linear regression models.

Results: Male children (< 15 years) had lower EBV-Ab than female children (model averaged β [SE]: -0.238 [0.066]). For adults, Shuar had higher EBV-Ab than Colonos (model averaged β [SE]: 0.235 [0.113]), and high systolic blood pressure was an important predictor of elevated EBV-Ab (model averaged β [SE]: 0.088 [0.047]). Individuals who reported unpaid domestic work as their primary occupation had higher EBV-Ab than agricultural workers (model averaged β [SE]: 0.302 [0.113]). Individuals living in houses with more market-sourced infrastructure had lower EBV-Ab (model averaged β [SE]: -0.088 [0.068]).

Conclusions: Circulating EBV-Ab may capture context-specific aspects of socioecological adversity …

Interprofessional Education To Support Alcohol Use Screening And Future Team-Based Management Of Stress-Related Disorders In Vulnerable Populations, Taylor Fitzpatrick-Schmidt, Scott Edwards

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Introduction: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a psychiatric disease that affects approximately 10% of the population. Individuals suffer from a myriad of causes and consequences of AUD, and team-based management of patients is often required for given the chronic and complex nature of the disease. Interprofessional education (IPE) for biomedical science and health professional students that incorporates patient-centered cases focused on AUD and adjacent stress-related disorders may improve future collaboration in managing these conditions and community outcomes related to wellbeing. Methods: This study assessed the impact of a single, 90-minute IPE exercise on improving confidence in possessing the knowledge and …

Electrodermal Activity In Response To Stress Reduction: Virtual Reality Experience In Hydrotherapy And Non-Hydrotherapy Environments, Nthabeleng Macdonald

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Hydrotherapy, a holistic alternative medicine, uses methods like water therapy, cold water immersion, and balneotherapy to treat physical and mental illnesses while inducing tranquility (Bahadorfar, 2014). In this study, the water therapy approach was used, but with a unique twist. Rather than traditional hydrotherapy involving direct contact with water, participants were fully immersed in a virtual reality water environment. This study investigated whether immersing individuals with psychological stress in an underwater environment via virtual reality (VR) reduces their stress levels as compared to a non-hydrotherapy virtual city environment. The effects of underwater scenery versus non-hydrotherapy city scenery individuals experiencing stress …

Worried Sick: Understanding The Implications Of Stress On A Physiological Level, Julia Saia

Senior Honors Theses

Stress is prevalent among many individuals in today’s society. A literature review was conducted to investigate the physiological effects of stress, including the biomarkers of stress and how these interact with various body systems. The stress response is a protective mechanism to prepare the body to adequately respond to a perceived threat. However, when this response is prolonged, it begins to have a maladaptive effect on the body and can cause more harm than good. This literature review sought to compile what is known regarding the general effects of chronic stress and its impact on the nervous, immune, digestive, and …

Yoga, Stress, And College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study, Lori Klein

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

College students have experienced exponential increases in stress and mental health concerns that continued to rise during the global coronavirus pandemic. Yoga is a popular, well-regarded method for improving psychological wellbeing, and this study explored how students’ perceived stress improved during a semester-long introductory yoga course upon returning to in-person instruction after a period of remote learning as a result of coronavirus restrictions. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed method design to first measure perceived stress scores and then compare this data to student-reports of wellbeing. College students (n = 121) enrolled in 8 sections of Yoga 1 completed …

Voluntary Alcohol Consumption And Sleep Deprivation In Rats, Aesha Khan

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Alcohol is one of the most common psychoactive drugs and has depressant effects on the central nervous system. The vast majority of research on alcohol and sleep commonly indicates chronic alcohol use has a detrimental impact on sleep architecture and homeostasis. However, less research has been conducted investigating the effects of sleep deprivation on alcohol consumption. Our lab's previous studies have looked at a potential bi-directional relationship between sleep and alcohol with promising results. However, there was concern that the method of sleep deprivation may have resulted in stress. The present study examines the effect of sleep deprivation on voluntary …

Transcriptional Regulation Of The Metabolic Response To Therapy In Leukemia, Robert Thomas Williams

Student Theses and Dissertations

Cancer cells are under constant stress due to their uncontrolled growth, oncogenic signaling, and the metabolic insufficiencies of their microenvironments. Under various stresses, cells activate the integrated stress response (ISR), a transcriptional program to restore cellular homeostasis. Activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) acts as the master transcriptional regulator of the ISR by promoting the transcription of genes that mitigate stress or promote cell death if the stress remains unresolved. Despite being the common mediator of various stress response and metabolic pathways, ATF4 generates tailored transcriptional outputs to distinct cellular stresses by cooperating with other transcriptional machinery. The precise mechanisms by …

Assessment Of The Ways Stress Affects The Occupational Performance Of Librarians In Federal University Libraries In South East, Nigeria, Enweremadu Isaac Usuka Cln, Ebubechukwu Okonkwo Cln, Abu Umaru Isaac Cln, Collins Odili Cln

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Stress has been identified as one of the factors that affect the job performance level of employees. The paper investigated the effect of stress on the occupational performance of librarians in federal university libraries in South East, Nigeria. Three specific objectives and research questions that focused on causes of stress, effect of stress on the occupational performance of librarians and the strategies for encouraging stress management practices guided the study. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The entire population of 191 librarians were studied; therefore, no sampling was made. A 43 items questionnaire was used for data collection. Cronbach …

Comparative Examination Of The Empatica E4 To Record Heart Rate Variability Metrics, Andres Rosero

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The increased accessibility of cyber technology has resulted in advancements in international communications and information sharing never seen in human history. With this new age of digital software comes the proliferation of illegal online activity and cyber terrorism. Repercussions of cyber-attacks have ranged from identity theft to leaks of classified state secrets. To combat this threat, the Department of Defense (DoD) established the Cyber Mission Force (CMF) to head operations in the interests of protecting against cyber-attacks. One of the CMF’s initial projects involves the creation of a Performance Assessment Suite (PAS), a training program designed to improve the training …

Technology-Aided Meditation At Work: Evaluating The Impact Of Biofeedback On A Mindfulness Program In The Workplace, Charles Morris

Mindfulness Studies Theses

The rise of secular mindfulness has been buoyed in large part by scientific research into its benefits. The availability of consumer-grade biofeedback devices promises to bring the objectivity of results seen in a research lab to personal experience. This mixed methods study examined the experience of 12 participants in a workplace mindfulness program, comparing the experience of an experimental group whose meditation practice was supported with the use of a HeartMath™ Inner Balance device to a control group who learned to meditate without it. The effects on stress, focus and motivation were captured via questionnaire, along with biofeedback data and …

Compassion Fatigue In Nurse Educators: A Concept Analysis, Joan M. Owens, Jane Tiedt, Monique De Nysschen

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Nurse Educators are at risk of developing compassion fatigue. Research is minimal on compassion fatigue in this population. The multifaceted role creates potential for over-exposure to stressful events. The purpose of this analysis is to develop an understanding of the concept of compassion fatigue as it relates to nurse educators.

A Hybrid Cognitive Architecture With Primal Affect And Physiology, Christopher L. Dancy

Faculty Journal Articles

Though computational cognitive architectures have been used to study several processes associated with human behavior, the study of integration of affect and emotion in these processes has been relatively sparse. Theory from affective science and affective neuroscience can be used to systematically integrate affect into cognitive architectures, particularly in areas where cognitive system behavior is known to be associated with physiological structure and behavior. I introduce a unified theory and model of human behavior that integrates physiology and primal affect with cognitive processes in a cognitive architecture. This new architecture gives a more tractable, mechanistic way to simulate affect-cognition interactions …

Effects Of Canines On Humans' Physiological And Perceived Stress, Beth Marie Bowin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The bond between pet and owner has been shown to decrease stress-related physical, mental, and emotional disorders by lowering blood pressure and heart rate. The purpose of this study was to examine whether a nonpet canine would have the same effect in reducing physical symptoms of stress as a known dog. Human-animal bond theory, Human pressor test. Data were analyzed using repeated measures, analyses of variance, and t tests. Results indicated that interaction with a strange dog lowered heart rate and blood pressure significantly faster in the experimental group than in the control group. The positive social change implications of …

Three Speeds Of Yoga And The Effects On Salivary Cortisol Levels In Female Nursing Students, Meagan Hennekens

All NMU Master's Theses

Purpose: Nursing students are prone to stress-related diseases, such as depression and anxiety, which are associated with chronically elevated cortisol levels due to the excessive firing of the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis. This study assessed three speeds of yoga and how they acutely affected salivary cortisol levels within female nursing students. Methods: Students participated in three yoga sessions cadenced at different speeds in a non-randomized order: (i) standard-speed yoga (SSY), (ii) high-speed yoga (HSY), and (iii) slow-speed yoga (SLSY). Each class integrated sequencing concepts from the brahmana/langhana strategy (BLS) and the Para Yoga Blueprint (PYB). Cortisol samples were …

Exploring Nurse Stress, Andrea Butler

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Aims: To explore levels of stress among nurses working in medical-surgical, telemetry and medical-telemetry nursing departments. Background: Bedside nurses are continuously confronted with stressful situations. These stressors can be very unpredictable and varying in intensity. As the nurse will face many different stressors, it is important for leadership to recognize the origin of the stress in order do everything possible to promote positive outcomes. Conquering stress within nursing departments provides a benefit for the greater good. Methods: This study used a descriptive, correlational study design. The association of occupational job stress for a nurse working within medical-surgical, telemetry, and medical-telemetry …

Towards A Physio-Cognitive Model Of Slow-Breathing, Chris Dancy

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

How may controlled breathing be beneficial, or detrimental to behavior? Computational process models are useful to specify the potential mechanisms that lead to behavioral adaptation during different breathing exercises. We present a physio-cognitive model of slow breathing implemented within a hybrid cognitive architecture, ACT-R/Φ. Comparisons to data from an experiment indicate that the physiological mechanisms are operating in a manner that is consistent with actual human function. The presented computational model provides predictions of ways that controlled breathing interacts with mechanisms of arousal to mediate cognitive behavior. The increasing use of breathing techniques to counteract effects of stressors makes it …

Correlating Residual Stress With Personal And Professional Characteristics In Aircraft Pilots, Erik Eckblad

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Every day aircraft pilots must successfully resolve significant inflight situations and then manage the possibility of residual psychological and physiological stress. Previous research has shown primary attention is given to presignificant event training and stress management, however there remains an important gap in the current literature regarding postsignificant event stress within the aviation profession. The purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to use the observational lens of stress theory and survey U.S. pilots who have experienced an inflight emergency, looking for correlation between factors such as age, gender, flight experience, and training against a pilot's self-reported level of residual …

Expression Of Mammalian Dna In A Non-Native Cell System, Taylor Hyatt

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

In this study, we aimed to investigate the interaction between glucocorticoid receptors and calcium channels. To begin our research, we began to optimize the transfection efficiency of a glucocorticoid receptor within human embryonic kidney cells. Results found that this non-native cell was able to be transfected with pK7-GR-GFP DNA. Although it was unexpected, we were unable to obtain a transfection efficiency of 10% to move forward with other planned experiments. However, through our efforts, we were able to achieve a transfection efficiency of 0.04% and troubleshoot many difficulties that prevented obtaining a higher transfection efficiency. It was found that the …

Trust, Reciprocity, Fairness, And Mind Reading Under Stress, Charles Jia Yao Xie

Master's Theses

Some hypothesized that when stressed, females activate tend-and-befriend, a stress response that enhances social abilities. Yet, critics argued this stress response is not exclusive to females and others suggested that males and females have different stress responses associated with social skills. This study intended to address these criticisms by testing whether males exhibit prosocial responses to stress and if particular stress responses improved social skills. To do this, 70 healthy introductory psychology students from a large public university in northern California were recruited to participate. Using random assignment, half of these individuals were exposed to an acute stressor and another …

Can Anyone With Low Income Be Food Secure?: Mitigating Food Insecurity Among Low Income Households With Children In The Tampa Bay Area, Edgar Allan Amador

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the US over the last few years, approximately 14.5% of households experience food insecurity at some point throughout the year. While studies on food insecurity in the US have determined that household income and specifically income available to spend on food is of critical importance to food security, it is still unclear why some households with low income are able to maintain food security while others experience food insecurity in a pattern characterized as not constant but recurrent. This dissertation compares households with children at different levels of food security and insecurity using the USDA Core Food Security Module …

Implementation And Model To Model Intercomparison Of 12 Heat Stress Metrics, Jonathan Robert Buzan

Open Access Theses

Earth system models simulate the dynamics of the most complex systems on our planet with some success. Despite the overwhelming sophistication of these models, which include dynamical interactions of ocean, atmosphere, vegetation, ice, and land-surface properties, they fail to include the most important element. People. Humans are also a complex physical-biological system and coupling of human physiology within an Earth Systems Modeling framework is challenging. This thesis presents results that tackle one particular component of human physiological climate interaction--a representation of heat stress on human physiology. Twelve different metrics were implemented and analyzed. These metrics represent a variety of philosophical …

The Relationship Between Heart Rate Variability, Shooting Experience, And Tactical Pistol Performance, Andrew Gerard Thompson

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

PURPOSE: At rest and during a tactical pistol competition classifier, heart rate variability (HRV) time-domain, high frequency (HF), low frequency (LF), total power (TP), and inter-beat-interval (IBI) measurements were examined in 28, healthy subjects (37 ± 11 yr old, 180 ± 7 cm, 90.6 ± 16.9 kg) for correlations to performance. METHODS: Resting measurements were taken supine in a quiet, dimmed room, during metronomic breathing. The shooting task consisted of three stages, comprised of several strings each. The strings were initiated by a starting buzzer and involved several tactical maneuvers, including holster draws, engaging multiple targets, firing on the move, …

Biobehavioral Correlates In Fibromyalgia, Ann Trivigno Mcnallen

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Fibromyalgia (FMS) is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by non-restorative sleep, and fatigue. Over 75% of individuals with FMS complain of poor sleep quality and fatigue. These have been ranked by patients with FMS as having great impact on quality of life. A literature review suggested that poor sleep quality may be a predictor of increased stress and FMS symptom onset in those affected. However, no experimental studies have demonstrated a causal relationship between poor sleep and stress in people with FMS. Methods: Using a single stage cross-sectional design, the primary study aim was to compare 25 women with …

The Impact Of An Enacted Social Support Training Intervention On Worklife Interaction And Stress In A Sample Of Working Adults, Justin P. Boren, Jess K. Alberts

Communication

The present investigation explores utilizes an enacted social support intervention among a group of working adults. Reductions in psychological and physiological stress were hypothesized to occur following the experimental intervention. Participants (N = 46) were all full time staff members at a large university and were randomly assigned to treatment or wait-list control groups. Treatment group members attended two 90 minute enacted social support meetings over the course of four weeks. Psychological (perceived stress and worklife conflict) and physiological (salivary cortisol) data were collected at both pretest and posttest periods. Results did not support the research hypotheses; however, a research …

Activation Of Gabaa And 5ht1a Receptors In The Raphe Pallidus Abolish The Cardiovascular Responses To Stress In Conscious Rats, Nhut Minh Pham Le

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Serotonergic neurons of the raphe pallidus area of the brainstem are involved in the cardiovascular responses to stress. However, the manner in which they mediate these responses is not well understood and severe abnormalities in this system have been associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In the current study, microinjections of muscimol and 8-OH-DPAT (GABAA and 5HT1A receptor agonists, respectively) into the raphe pallidus abolished the increase in mean arterial pressure and the tachycardiac responses following air jet, handing, and restraint stress that were observed following microinjections of artificial cerebrospinal fluid. The stress responses following muscimol microinjections suggest that this …

Glossolalia Influences On Stress Response Among Apostolic Pentecostals, Christopher Dana Lynn

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study tests the hypothesis that long–term experience of Apostolic Pentecostal glossolalia or “speaking in tongues” reduces the reactivity of biological stress response to normal or "daily" stressors. Glossolalia is a form of religious dissociation. Dissociation is a universal capacity often conflated with “trance.” It refers to the partitioning of awareness associated with a variety of cross–cultural forms, from daydreaming and denial to possession trance, shamanic spirit journeys, and dissociative identity disorder. Dissociation is believed to reduce or filter stress by mediating evaluation of potential stressors and reactivity of the mechanisms of biological stress response. Previous studies have examined these …